Loco Dice's productions may be minimal, but his phone conversations certainly are not. In this second part of our interview with him, we talked about everything from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to his theories on why Germany is the world's premiere destination for dance music and he even shared a rather surprising list of his favorite records. Make sure to get your tickets for his set at Tango's 5-Year Anniversary Party early, because we have the funny feeling that he's going to be throwing to a packed house.

• Can you remember who was the first artist who inspired you so much that you wanted a career in music?

Absolutely! It was for sure Quincey Jones. I grew up listening to mostly funk, soul, and Latin music. You know, the kind of stuff that really makes you want to get up and dance. When I first heard Quincey Jones' projects, I thought to myself, "Sh-t, this guy is a f-cking producer." His ideas for what the sound should be and his full artistic vision were completely clear. Even The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, for God's sake! (laughs) Look at an album like "Thriller." Any DJ in the world can still throw any of those tracks in the middle of a set, with or without the vocals, and that entire dance floor is going to go crazy. You know something is a masterpiece when it stands the test of time like that.

• You're talking to a child of the 80s here, so you don't need to preach to the choir. Are you listening to anything now that has a similar effect on you?

Well, there's a whole bunch of music now that's fantastic. I feel very lucky to have friends who are making it as well. But to be honest, I can't choose any one particular name, because there are just too many of them out there, and I wouldn't feel right mentioning a single name or even selecting a few.

• Fair enough. So, being a native of Germany-

Ah, great. You know that I'm actually German. I'm still trying to figure out why even other Germans won't speak to me in German! I guess it's because I don't look like your typical white guy. (laughs)

• Well, there's that entire rumor going around that you're Tunisian. I'm also really weird-looking, so the same sort of sh-t happens to me. I've had other Americans start speaking to me in Chinese! But, to get back on topic, Germany has been one of the most influential destinations for electronic music for over two decades now. As a German native, can you comment on what it is about the country that has nurtured the scene so rigorously for so many years now?

The relevance of the German scene has been pretty much my pet project for at least four years now. I was playing at DC-10 in Ibiza all the time back then, and I always used to tell everyone: "Watch out for the Germans, they are going to take all of this sh-t over." You have to remember, in those days everyone was watching the progressive scene crumble, and no one was spinning anything but productions coming out of the UK. I'd try to throw stuff from German labels or producers based there, and everyone was like, "Man, what the f-ck are you playing?"

Now, the German scene is finally getting the respect it deserves again. I feel like the UK scene has never done much but jump on top of a trend, then get the press all worked up about how it's going to take over the world. The media there just hypes artists and then proceeds to let them down just like that. It never ceased to amaze me how the folks in the UK, both the press and the audiences, would build up even their own DJs and producers, then knock them once the next big thing came along.

We're just not like that at all here in Germany. We're more loyal, and even the media has never forgotten who the pioneers were twenty years ago, German or not. Here in Germany you can still throw [pioneering American Detroit techno producer] Robert Hood, and nobody will tell you that you need to get new records. They still give credit where credit is due, and still recognize talent no matter how long it's been since someone put out a great track. Where else would you have clubs that have been open and doing wicked business continuously for fifteen years? There's no other country in the world that takes that kind of pride in its scene and supports it no matter what.

• Plenty of DJs are going the digital or Serato route, and in a city like Beijing, where vinyl is so difficult to find, lots of DJs seldom use it. Is there any one medium that you prefer to use? How do you approach new technology as a DJ and producer?

I am a huge vinyl fan. Even with new technology, every DJ should keep using it because it's a question of style, and giving a nod to the way our idols did it back in the day. There's something beautiful about being at home and staring at a wall covered in your collection of records, touching the grooves when you're playing, and hunting out rare vinyl when you find a new record shop. At the same time, some of those records are just too valuable to lose. I travel so often, and I've been devastated when I lost records that I thought were priceless, so I'm relieved that I'm able to have a back-up plan of digital archives when I'm traveling, and that there's software available like Traktor that allows me to loop the sounds that I want.

• So then, if the apocalypse were upon us, and you could escape with only one piece of equipment, and three records, what would they be?

Well, in terms of equipment, my Mac is the most essential piece I own. I think that most DJs and producers would tell you the same. Records-wise....Number one, Kruder and Dorfmeister's DJ Kicks. Number two, Santana's Greatest Hits. And Number three...ah, it's gotta be Dr. Dre's The Chronic. I listen to these three albums every single day, and will probably be listening to them for the next twenty years.

• Wow, that's one hell of a list. So who do you see as your musical mentors?

Danny Tenaglia was obviously a huge influence on me because of those epic DJ sets. There aren't a lot of others who can keep working a crowd for so long. Then I definitely have to mention Timo Maas, because he really showed me how to take things to the next level music-wise.

• You've often been quoted as saying that everyone should live in both Ibiza and New York at some point, but is there any one particular city, venue, or festival that you think is essential to play for any electronic dance music artist? Why?

I'm not the biggest fan of Berlin on a personal level, but I have to admit that it's the one place right now where you have to go from a professional and musical standpoint. Artists making this kind of music just have so much freedom there.

• As there are more and more choices in terms of music selections, I've noticed an increasing trend towards looking to labels for direction, especially among music conoisseurs within electronica. Even at Winter Music Conference, the parties are generally thrown by labels. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon?

Labels like M_nus, Cadenza, Cocoon, Ovum have created real crews. Part of it is marketing, but it's also really healthy for the artists and labels to be able to support each other in a way that we can push things forward together. Label-mates have formed communities in which we can care about each other and share ideas. We're a real posse, and help each other out like family members if there's a problem.

• What made you decide to start your own Desolat label with Martin Buttrich? What influences the decisions you make in terms of signing an artist as a label head?

Martin and I are looking more for sounds and tracks less than any particular artist, but we still want to give the people behind them support. Even on [my latest album] 7 Dunham Place, we were going for a full album experience in the old-school sense, where the listener can feel the story, see and touch the packaging and the artwork, and focus on the music. At the end of the day, it's not about me: it's about having a complete experience with music that moves you.